Purpose The rising prevalence of smartphone overdependence among adolescents and its detrimental impact on mental health have become a growing concern. This study aimed to investigate the association between smartphone overdependence and the mental health of Korean adolescents.
Methods Participants were drawn from the 16th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey conducted in 2020. The dependent variable as smartphone overdependence, while the main exposure of interest was mental health, encompassing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), perceived stress, sources of perceived stress, perceived loneliness, and perceived depressive symptoms. The study employed the Rao-Scott chi-square test and multiple logistic regression using IBM SPSS version 26.0.
Results The participants comprised 54,948 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years. Among them, 25.1% (n=13,775) were categorized as smartphone overdependence group. Specifically, 20.3% of adolescents who reported GAD ≥10 and 22.5% of those who reported experiencing high levels of perceived loneliness were identified as smartphone overdependent. The GAD increased a risk of smartphone overdependence by 2.61 times (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.46–2.77). Perceived loneliness was associated with 1.98-fold (95% CI: 1.87–2.09) increased risk of smartphone overdependence. Additionally, conflict with peers was found to increase the risk of smartphone overdependence by 4.63-fold (95% CI: 3.89–5.52), followed by conflict with parents (odds ratio [OR]: 4.52, 95% CI: 3.84–5.31), and family environment (OR: 4.52, 95% CI: 3.75–5.46).
Conclusion The findings underscore a significant association between smartphone overdependence and mental health in Korean adolescents. Healthcare services to improve their emotional coping and interpersonal skills are necessary.
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Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the needs for pediatric palliative care (PPC) among parents of children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) and to investigate differences in the needs for PPC according to their general characteristics.
Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March 28 and May 18, 2018. Parents (N=96) who had a child under 18 years with a CCC were recruited. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA.
Results The overall average need for PPC was 3.58±0.33 out of 4.00. In terms of care for the subjects' children, the highest need was physical care, followed by psychosocial and spiritual care. In the sub-dimensions, preservation of physical function received the highest score. Of the items, the highest need was for seizure control. In terms of care for the subjects themselves, the highest need was for psychosocial care, followed by bereavement and spiritual care. In the sub-dimensions, communication received the highest score. Of the items, the highest need was for smooth communication with medical staff. Differences in needs for PPC according to participants’ general characteristics were not statistically significant.
Conclusion Medical staff should provide PPC according to the priorities of parents’ perceived needs.
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, Eun Kyoung Choi
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